


Changeling

by Xelkyrien



Series: Changeling [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alternate Ending, Angst, Bad Decisions, Consequences, Gen, Heartbreak, Irreversible Decisions, Saltinette, Shapeshifting, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 19:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17269781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xelkyrien/pseuds/Xelkyrien
Summary: Set during s3ep1 "Chameleon". Marinette gets akumatized by Hawk Moth and sets out to ruin Lila's life like she planned to ruin Marinette's, but she soon realizes she's gone too far.





	Changeling

**Author's Note:**

> This story started as an idea I had for an alternate ending to Chameleon because I was tired of the fake-outs with Akumatizing Marinette. There are a number of theories and ideas I use in this story that I'll describe more in the notes at the end. Keep in mind while reading that this is based around the English version of the show.  
> As a side note, I can't decide on something, so I thought I would let you, the readers, decide. I'll have a poll going until I post the next part in this series where you can decide what Marinette should wear in future parts of Changeling. I have a reference image for the 4 outfit choices [here](https://xelkyrien.tumblr.com/ChangelingOutfitPoll) at my tumblr. If you want to vote include the number of your outfit choice in your comment here on Ao3.

Folklore and fairytales speak of changelings, the child of a fairy that has been swapped with a human child, left to take their place. If undiscovered, the changeling would be raised by the human parents and grow up amongst them with none the wiser. They look like us, they talk like us, making it so easy to forget that they’re not human…

 

* * *

 

“Marinette, look out!” Tikki shouted suddenly, her eyes widening as they focused on something moving near the door of the stall that her owner had hidden in to cry. Her voice cut through Marinette’s boiling anger and the dark haired girl noticed that a familiar black butterfly with purple markings had entered and was slowly flying towards her.

“An akuma!” Marinette’ voice wavered as she swiftly hopped up to stand on the toilet and back into the corner of the stall, trying to get as far away from the evil creature as possible in the confined space.

The butterfly, for its part, was unperturbed by the girl’s reaction to its presence, continuing its slow fluttering in her direction to carry out its assigned task. Marinette pressed herself further into the corner. The akuma headed directly towards her earrings… her miraculous! _If it got into them then…_

She hastily threw her hands up and covered her earrings, determined to prevent the creature from possessing them. They were too important. She may not be able to escape this monster, but perhaps she could prevent it from finding out that she’s Ladybug.

With its intended target now blocked the dark butterfly sought something else on its prey to possess. What it chose had to mean something, be important or related in some way. The only thing this teen seemed to have that meant as much as her earrings was… The akuma fluttered downwards, looping and shifting in its path the way butterflies do. Neither Marinette nor Tikki could tell where it was headed. For a moment Marinette allowed herself to wonder if it had given up, but then to her horror the evil creature appeared to phase directly through her and she felt a sudden sharp pain in her heart.

The world around her seemed to fall away. She could no longer see Tikki. She could no longer see the dark grey metal walls of the stall dividers or the grey bricks they met up with. She couldn’t see anything at all, but she certainly felt something. There was anger, fear, hatred, betrayal, isolation. The emotions burned, searing her very soul.

Somewhere in the distance in this dark void Marinette swore she could hear a voice speaking to her, but she couldn’t quite make out what it was saying. It was muffled and distant at first, but was now slowly growing louder and more clear. With it, the rest of the world also seemed to snap back into view in the wake of a flurry of black and purple. The burning flame of her negative emotions had become an inferno. She could hear a frantic squeaky voice somewhere to her right, but it was eclipsed by a deep commanding voice that seemed to resonate inside her mind.

“Changeling,” the voice addressed her, “I’m Hawk Moth. I’ve given you the ability to use the forms of others so you can take your revenge on those that have betrayed you. In return, you’ll bring me Ladybug and Cat Noir’s miraculous!”

_Hawk Moth…_ That name seemed familiar. _Hawk Moth…_ _Ladybug…_

Fear bubbled to the surface of the chaotic whirlpool of her thoughts and instinctively she raised her hand, her fingertips brushing against her earring. It was fear of the akuma, fear of discovery, fear of loss. Before any more of her thoughts could trickle through the psychic link to Hawk Moth she violently stamped down on the connection, surprising the villain.

The small frantic voice she had been hearing earlier became clearer as she stifled Hawk Moth. She recognized who that voice belonged to, the desperation and fear in its tone reinforcing what it was saying, “You have to fight him, Marinette!”

Hawk Moth was recovering from his shock. She could feel it. He sent a sharp stab of pain through the link to her and she staggered back, very nearly falling. It was like a bolt of lightning tearing through a pitch black sky. Feeling the air shift as Tikki moved she put her hand up and shoved the little kwami away, keeping her out of her line of sight and hopefully still unseen by Hawk Moth. The red bug-like kwami seemed to understand and continued to encourage her from out of sight.

“Fight him, Marinette! You can win! You’re stronger than him!” Tikki shouted. The dark haired girl nodded, sending a jolt through the link back at Hawk Moth. She felt the link falter before another agonizing burst hit her like a freight train. She closed her eyes against the pain, pushing back with all she had and sending it to Hawk Moth as a wave of agony. The other side of the link then went dark and she practically heard the connection snap, recoiling like a rubber band and causing her one more jab of pain as it did.

Marinette fell to her hands and knees on the white tile floor, panting for breath, her whole body trembling. Her vision swam, a sea of blurred images that made her already aching head spin. There was a deafening ringing in her ears that refused to let any other sound through. She was vaguely aware of a red and black blur interrupting the rest of the monochrome colors the world was made up of but she couldn’t focus on it with the pounding in her head.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there like that before she recovered. The ringing faded away, the trembling ceased and the migraine was nothing more than a dull throb in the back of her mind. She opened her eyes, not having even realized she had closed them, and looked down at the crisp white tiles, cool under her too-warm hands. There was one problem with the image though: they weren’t her hands. The skin tone wasn’t hers and they were too pristine, lacking the scars that one would get from sewing by hand.

She didn’t dwell on it for long though. The idea that something wasn’t quite right became distant as the fear that had previously been driving her melted back into her pool of negative emotion and fell to the bottom. There was no immediate danger of her miraculous being discovered anymore, so her focus could move to other things. Things like Lila.

She searched around her mind for any sign of the psychic link or Hawk Moth. Finding nothing, Marinette stood and brushed off her black polkadot romper and adjusted her red jacket. Then she reached for the stall door and finally stepped out into the room.

“Marinette?” Tikki asked, causing her to pause, concern in her tiny voice. “What are you doing?”

Changeling turned to look at the little kwami, a smirk on her face and mischief in her olive green eyes, “I’m a free agent now, Tikki. Without Hawk Moth talking in my ear I can go give Lila a taste of her own medicine.”

 

* * *

 

Lila smirked to herself, walking away from the restroom where she left Marinette with her ultimatum. She felt good about herself, a sense of victory elevating her mood. The auburn haired girl was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the door she stopped at opening as she reached for it. She gasped in surprise and quickly withdrew her hands to avoid getting hit by it.

“Hey, Lila.” Adrien greeted, stepping through the door, his smile welcoming and his green eyes as bright and friendly as always. The teen model proceeded down the hall, handing the door off to Lila. She stepped through it but stood there watching him walk away, one hand on the door, the other folded over her heart. She wore an expression of uncertainty which quickly morphed into a smile as she made her decision.

“Adrien!” She called out his name as she let the door close in favor of following after him, waving. _Time to perform_. He stopped and looked back at her as she approached, telling him, “We’ll have to figure out when you’re going to help me catch up on all the school work I missed.”

“I also heard you play piano,” Lila continued, running a finger down his chest then withdrawing it to rest her fingers on her sternum, prideful, “My uncle is the great pianist Chuch Boroughchuck. He wanted to teach me when I was little, but I had to stop playing because of arthritis.”

Lila made a show of holding her wrist and giving Adrien a dejected look. She glanced at him to check his expression before continuing, “But when my wrist gets better, I'd love for you to give me some lessons.”

Adrien frowned, casting his gaze away, his eyebrows knitted together, a look that said he knew she just lied to his face. His tone was disappointed, “Lila…”

When he looked back at her he gave the green eyed girl a sympathetic smile, “I'm perfectly happy being friends with you, and I'll gladly help you catch up on your schoolwork, but… please don't lie to me like you did last time with Ladybug.”

“Uh, huh…” Lila stuttered, shocked and taken aback. She had hoped he had forgotten about that. If that got in her way of winning over Adrien she would have one more reason to hate the polka dot clad superhero. She huffed and glared at the blond, letting her anger seep into her voice, “Ladybug’s the liar!”

Adrien shook his head in response, not quite sure where he went wrong. He didn’t mean to upset her. He was just trying to help. Adrien quickly tried to fix things, telling her, “I'm not judging you, Lila, but instead of making friends you're going to turn everyone against you. You can tell me if something's bothering you. I can help. But you need to be honest with me.”

“Are you trying to be some superhero lecturing me just like Ladybug did?” The auburn haired girl spat, glowering at him. “Well thanks, but no thanks.”

Lila spun on her heel, angry, and stormed off. She slammed the door behind her, leaving Adrien to wonder what he did wrong. The blond teen sighed and, though he was unsure if she could still hear him, he told her, “I'm still here if you need help catching up with your schoolwork…”

Adrien turned and started walking away, dispirited. He barely took three steps before he heard somebody calling his name. Turning to see who it was he was dumbfounded, “L-Lila?!”

“Of course. I just had to see you.” Replied the auburn haired girl walking towards him that looked for all the world like Lila. The same hime cut hair, tied off at the tip with red hair ties, black polka dot romper, translucent stockings, brown boots and red jacket. The same olive green eyes that had just been glaring daggers at him were now gazing up at him alluringly. The sudden shift in her mood was almost enough to give Adrien whiplash.

He shook his head, trying to work out this confusing situation in his mind and failing terribly, “But you just stormed out.”

He saw Lila’s eyes widen minutely, a look of surprise crossing her face momentarily. It was gone so fast he thought he may have imagined it, becoming apologetic instead.

“I wanted to apologise for what just happened. I’ve thought about it and you’re right. I want us to be friends so I’ll never tell another lie again.” she told him, green orbs shining. Something in Adrien told him to step back, to run away, but he was rooted in place. Lila leaned in, placing her hands on his chest, “Will you make peace with me?”

“I… uh… yes?” Adrien managed, his heart pounding. There was something about Lila that seemed off, but he couldn’t quite place it. Her hair was the same, her clothes were the same, and he would be lying if he said her demeanor was unusual. He always came back to her eyes. They were the same green they always were, but there was something different about them. Something about her eyes…

Suddenly he was pulled out of his thoughts as Lila pressed her lips to his own, an electric current seemingly passing between them. _When had she gotten so close…?_  

It was a firework displaying going off in his head, and when she pulled away it left him out of breath with his thoughts lazily bobbing around his mind like balloons on the wind. He looked at her and saw her lips moving, but wasn’t really registering what she was saying.

“Huh…?” he tried and she giggled, “Do you want to get together to see a movie tonight? I’ll meet you there.”

“Yeah.” The blond replied wistfully, his head still up in the clouds. She giggled again and made her way to the door.

Alya stopped as Lila opened the door, having been about to enter herself. She greeted the other auburn haired girl with a smile, “Hey, Lila.”

Instead of returning the greeting, however, Lila ignored her completely, pushing past her to continue on down the corridor. Alya blinked in confusion, looking after the other girl. She adjusted her thick rimmed black glasses and walked through the door, letting it close behind her.

“What was that about?” she asked, looking to Adrien for an answer. He ran a hand through his blond locks and shrugged, replying, “I have no idea…”

 

* * *

 

Adrien and Alya were the last two to file into class after lunch ended. Nino waved Alya over and she made her way to her seat next to him in the second row. As she sat down she glanced up towards the back of the class, noticing the last row was empty. It was mildly concerning, but Marinette had a habit of being late so she didn’t dwell on it. Adrien, on the other hand, found himself wondering where Marinette was. He had noticed the empty back row as he was taking his seat next to Lila and kept glancing back at the place where the ocean eyed girl should be. Even stranger still, Lila hadn’t said a word to him yet. The girl seemed to radiate contempt. Asking her what was wrong only earned him a glare that made him beyond happy that looks can’t actually kill. There was an almost palpable tension hanging in the air between them that had Adrien turning his attention towards the empty seat at the back more and more.

As the minutes ticked by and class wore on Alya’s concern grew. She was expecting Marinette to come bursting through the door spouting excuses for her tardiness or trying to sneak into the classroom unnoticed, but every moment that went by with no sign of her friend caused her heart to sink further and further. She knew Marinette had been upset and she realized she did nothing to alleviate it. By the time the final bell tolled Alya was convinced she had caused Marinette to skip class.

 

* * *

 

Alya rushed to class the next morning, hurrying through the front gates and throwing a quick wave to the janitor as she passed by. She didn’t stop until she reached the locker room where she absently waved to the janitor before stepping inside and exchanging her things at her locker. It was then that she paused, something momentarily dawning on her before she shook her head and said aloud, “Nah. Couldn’t be.”

Sprinting to the classroom, Alya walked through the door with a smile, immediately turning her gaze to the far back corner of the room. Her face fell, her mood dropping. Marinette’s seat sat empty again. With a sigh the girl with the two toned hair made her way to her seat, slumping down and tossing her things onto the desk. She had been hoping to see her best friend today and talk to her about what happened. _Maybe she’s just late…_

She took out her phone and tried calling Marinette, only for it to go to voice mail. Alya groaned and tossed her phone back in her blue bag.

“Hey.”

Alya looked up, her eyes falling on Nino as he slid into his seat next to her. He pulled his headphones down to rest around his neck and adjusted his baseball cap. Alya tried not to let her bad mood into her tone but she was pretty sure she failed, “Oh. Hey, Nino.”

Nino pursed his lips, giving his girlfriend a thoughtful look. He asked, concern evident in his voice, “What’s wrong, Alya?”

“Marinette.” The brunette replied with a sigh, “She’s not here yet. I needed to talk to her.”

“I’m sure she’ll show. You know she’s always late.” Nino reassured her. Alya opened her mouth to reply, to tell him that it was different this time, but before she got the chance the sound of the classroom door slamming cut her off and demanded the whole room’s attention. Adrien stalked inside, shoulders slumped, glaring at the ground.

“Oh, Adrien! I-“ Lila began, waving to him, her voice sweet, but he interrupted her, “Don’t.”

The auburn haired girl recoiled, looking at him in confusion, “B-but- What did I do?”

“What did you do? You stood me up, Lila!” The blond shouted at her. Tears stung Adrien’s eyes, threatening to fall, but he kept them reined in by sheer force of will. He’s suffered heartbreak before and he’s been stood up once already, so it wasn’t anything new to him. That didn’t make it hurt any less though, especially since this time it was Lila that had asked _him_.

For her part Lila looked confused and upset, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Don’t play dumb, Lila. You asked me to the movies yesterday after you kissed me.” Adrien spat. He couldn’t believe she was trying to lie her way out of this, “My dad even gave me permission to go. I waited for you at the theater for hours and you never showed up!”

“That never happened!” Lila denied, shooting her own glare back at him at the accusation.

Adrien growled, clenching his fists. After a moment he shook his head, waving his hand in dismissal and turning to walk away saying, “You know what? It’s not worth it…”

The teen model made his way to the far back corner of the classroom, taking the seat next to where Marinette should have been. He looked out across the classroom and everybody swiftly looked away, pretending that they hadn’t just seen everything. Giving a sigh, Adrien propped his head up on his fist and stared fixedly out the window for the rest of class.

 

* * *

 

Later in the evening as the sun was beginning its descent below the horizon casting an orange glow over all of Paris Alya, Adrien and Nino sat around an ornate table in a small café. The couple wanted to cheer up their friend, never having seen him that upset before. It really had been a strange couple days. The two nicest, calmest people in the world had both lashed out in anger, and at the same person no less. That person had seemed so amazing, this morning’s scene compounded with other occurrences had the students finally starting to see past that blinding perfection. Some of the kinder students still wanted to give Lila the benefit of the doubt, but others were finally taking what the girl said with a grain of salt.

Alya sighed, absently stirring her drink with the plastic stick it came with, her thoughts on her best friend. As if reading her mind the brunette’s phone rang, the caller id telling her it was from Marinette’s house. She hastily accepted the call and asked, “Hello?”

To her surprise, Marinette’s mother answered her, worry evident in her voice, “Hello, Alya. Tom and I were wondering, is Marinette with you? She didn’t come home last night and she hasn’t come home yet today.”

A frown formed on Alya’s face at this. When she spoke again her tone mirrored Sabine Cheng’s, “No… I haven’t seen her since lunch yesterday. She wasn’t in class today either.”

Miss Cheng thanked her and requested she call if she hears anything, letting her know that she would continue calling around. After the conversation ended Alya slowly sat her phone down on the café table, a troubled look on her face. Both boys noticed, but it was Adrien that asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“It was Marinette’s parents. She’s missing.” The girl answered flatly, her eyes stormy.

Nino pursed his lips, musing, “You don’t think…”

“She _was_ pretty upset yesterday…” Alya responded, her voice lifeless. Not long ago the immediate assumption would have been a kidnapping or that she ran away, but these days the primary cause of sudden disappearances was akumatization. The blue eyed teen was optimistic and fun, but she wasn’t immune to negative emotions so it wasn’t exactly outside the realm of possibility.

Adrien seemed to pick up on what they meant and shot them a skeptical look, pointing out, “If she had been akumatized we would probably know about it. The super villains always make a public display of going after Ladybug and Cat Noir.”

“Not always,” Alya corrected, shaking her head, “Remember Vanisher? Nobody had realized Sabrina had been akumatized for a couple days.”

“You think Marinette may be invisible?” Nino asked, considering the possibilities of what happened. The brunette shook her head again, “No, but I think I know what happened. I’ve been noticing some strange things around school lately but I’ve dismissed it as my imagination. This morning I ran past the janitor on my way in, then saw the exact same janitor as I reached the locker room and at lunch Lila left only to immediately return, telling stories with details that contradicted what she’d said earlier. The nail in the coffin though is the way Lila’s been acting towards me. Sometimes she’s eager to be my friend while at other times she acts like I don’t even exist. The latter doesn’t make sense for Lila, but it _does_ make sense if it’s Marinette that’s been transformed into Lila.”

Nino’s brows knitted in confusion and he couldn’t help but ask, “Why would Marinette ignore you? You’re her best friend.”

At this Alya sighed, her shoulders sagging under the weight of guilt, “Do you remember yesterday at lunch? She tried to tell us that Lila’s a liar and I wouldn’t believe her. She needed her best friend in her corner and I wasn’t there for her, so I can’t help but feel like I’m partially to blame.”

The hazel eyed girl cast her stormy gaze away and her boyfriend placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, strong enough to provide reassurance but soft enough to not even wrinkle the orange plaid fabric of her shirt. She brought her own hand up and wrapped it around his, giving a gentle squeeze in return to let him know she appreciated the gesture.

“Lila is a liar.” Adrien informed them, a hint of bitterness in his tone, “When she first started here we were at the park and she was telling me she knew Ladybug. She even tried convincing me she was the descendant of a super hero. Ladybug showed up and set the record straight.”

 “We should try to find Marinette and talk to her.” Alya told the two, avoiding their eyes, “Chances are she’s still at the school.”

 

* * *

 

A considerable amount of time had passed after the final bell rang, dismissing all the students to return to their homes. Not too long after the teachers filed out of the building as well, locking up their classroom doors and letting their minds move away from work for a little while. Even though the students and teachers were long gone, one person remained. She had no idea how long it had been since the bell, but she didn’t really care either. Right now, as she sat on the floor of the restroom with her back pressed against the wall and her head resting on her knees which she had her arms tightly wrapped around, it was the farthest thing from her mind. The auburn haired girl’s body shook with silent sobs, the last couple days playing back in her mind. At first it all seemed right. She was high on emotion and drunk on power, and breaking Hawk Moth’s hold over her had just made it worse. She felt like she could do anything, and why shouldn’t she? These people deserved it. They hurt her, they betrayed her, they abandoned her. They deserved everything that happened to them.

Back then, it seemed like years ago though it was only yesterday, she had felt that there was nothing wrong with ruining Lila’s life by any means necessary. However, now that she was thinking more clearly and coming down from that high she was appalled with herself. How could she have been so blind to all the terrible things she was doing? Lying to flush out a liar made her just as bad. Worst of all, she had hurt Adrien. Kissing him, asking him out; they were both things she had dreamed of doing for so long and when she finally managed to do it it was as a ploy to purposefully break his heart…

“What kind of monster am I…?” the girl whispered, voice so quiet it could barely be heard, and yet the statement seemed deafening in her ears.

“Marinette…” a small sympathetic voice spoke to her. Slowly, she lifted her head, watery green eyes meeting the large blue ones of her kwami, brimming with concern. Tikki had stuck by her through it all. She had tried to talk her out of it, but Marinette wouldn’t listen. She sniffled and the small bug-like being placed a hand on her arm, giving her a sad smile, “You’re not a monster, Marinette.”

The girl shook her head, “I did such terrible things, Tikki… I hurt the people I care about… I… I…”

Marinette’s olive eyes widened as something dawned on her. Her voice shook when she spoke, “I haven’t been home in days… My parents are probably worried sick… This has all gone way too far…”

“Nobody’s going to blame you. You weren’t yourself. You’ll see.” Tikki reassured the girl, “You can turn back into yourself and go home, let your parents know that you’re ok.”

Marinette nodded, picking herself up off the floor and moving over to the nearest mirror. She braced her hands on the cool ceramic edge of the sink and gazed at the face staring back at her in the reflective glass, the face of her enemy. She felt a pang of hatred in her darkened heart, but quickly stamped it down. More negative emotion was the last thing she needed right now. Marinette took a deep breath and let it out, picturing herself in her mind and willing her form to shift to that image. In a flurry of black and purple a new face stared back at her in the mirror, but it wasn’t hers. For some reason she had turned into her mother. She shook her head, concentrating harder this time and trying again. In another flurry of darkness she found herself staring at yet another different face, but it still wasn’t hers. She had become Kagami, the fencer. The hair color was right, but this still wasn’t her.

Marinette kept trying to change back into herself until she cycled back to Lila, tears in her eyes. Shock and sorrow were written clearly on her face, the reflection of her enemy staring back at her in the mirror as though mocking her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t turn back into herself. Marinette had had no issues changing into Lila, the janitor, the teachers, other students, but now that she wanted her own face back she couldn’t do it, her goal perpetually just out of reach. Perhaps this was the price she was to pay for allowing herself to be akumatized? For hurting her parents and Adrien?

“I can’t do it…” she breathed, her voice barely audible. Tikki looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she meant. Marinette ground her teeth and slammed a fist down on the edge of the sink, “I can’t do it, Tikki! I can’t change back!”

She was practically shouting, but it was obvious the brunette’s anger was directed toward herself rather than at Tikki. As quickly as the fires of rage had begun burning in the girl’s eyes they died out and she seemed to visibly deflate a little. She crossed her wrists on the edge of the sink, resting her forehead on them and trying not to cry again. She sounded defeated, asking the little kwami, “How can I go home like this…? I could tell my parents who I am, but would they even believe me…?”

“They’re your parents, Marinette. They’ll be able to tell it’s you even if you don’t look like yourself.” Tikki told her. There was such certainty in the kwami’s voice that Marinette almost believed the statement to be true. She turned her head to look at the red being with black spots, doubt still coloring the girl’s words, “Will they still love me even though I’ve been akumatized…?”

The kwami nodded, “Of course they will! You’re their daughter. They’ll always love you, no matter what.”

“Are you sure…?” The brunette questioned, turning her gaze back towards the mirror, sighing at the sight of another’s face staring back at her. Tikki didn’t miss a beat, nodding and answering, “Positive.”

“Alright. Let’s go home, Tikki.” Marinette stood up strait, nodding once before turning and heading towards the door as Tikki hid herself.

To her surprise, the restroom door was flung open so suddenly that she had to take a quick step back. She had thought herself to be the only person still at the school and thus couldn’t do more than blink a few times in disbelief as Alya poked her head through the door scanning the room, Adrien and Nino in the hallway just outside. The girl’s hazel eyes fell on her, the expression on Alya’s face a mirror of her own.

Alya recovered first and quirked an eyebrow, asking, “Lila? You’re still here?”

It took the green eyed girl a moment longer to recover and process the question. Once she had, she wasn’t sure how to react. That familiar sense of betrayal was bubbling up to the surface once again at the sight of the other auburn haired girl, regardless of how she tried to quell it. In the end, it won out and she composed herself, stepping past Alya into the corridor without even looking at her.

She didn’t get very far.

“Marinette!” she heard the other girl say as she felt a hand wrap around her wrist, stopping her from moving any further down the hall, not that she would have been able to move anyway. Hearing her name like that had frozen her in place.

Her breath hitched and suddenly she spun around to look at the three so quickly she was almost a blur, an expression on her face like a deer caught in headlights. Her uneven breathing made her words come out shaky, “Y-you know?”

Alya nodded once, hazel eyes staring directly into green, lips set in a tight line. She swallowed before she spoke, everything about her demeanor saying that she wasn’t sure how well what she was about to say would be received but that she had to try, “I’m sorry, Marinette. You’re my best friend. I should have been there for you.”

“You’re right. You should have.” Green eyes narrowed into a sharp glare as Marinette tore her wrist out of Alya’s grip. Her tone was dark and oozing hurt, “You were the last person I had, Alya. Everybody was so enamored with Lila, too blind to see the truth. I tried to tell you that she was a liar. You were my best friend. I thought you’d have my back, but even with your habit of jumping to conclusions you refused to believe it without proof as though _I_ were the liar. You should know me better than that. I can’t forgive you, Alya. If you’d have just believed me I wouldn’t be stuck like this.”

The girl flinched at the harsh words that pierced right through her heart. She cast her gaze away, unable to deny anything that was said. In her place Adrien stepped forward pleading, “We can help you, Marinette. Ladybug and Cat Noir can-“

“It won’t help.” Marinette shook her head, cutting him off before he could finish, “The Akuma’s in my heart… Trying to purify it would kill me…”

Saying it out loud threatened to bring back the tears, but she fought them down. It was too much already to hear Adrien gasp, to see the horror and pity on her friend’s faces at her predicament. She didn’t want them to pity her. She didn’t want their sympathy.

So she turned on her heel, walking away from them and so they wouldn’t follow she told them, “… I’m going home…”

 

* * *

 

As soon as Marinette was past the school’s front gates she ran. She ran as fast as she was able, finally letting the tears flow from her eyes, making the world nothing but a blur of colors. She let her feet carry her to her destination, not stopping until she got there. By the time the girl was standing outside the bakery her tears had dried and she was out of breath. A deep feeling of dread and uncertainty grew in the pit of her stomach, feeling like a lead weight. She spent several minutes just standing there, staring at the door, before taking a deep breath and regaining enough courage to entire. Finally, she opened the door a crack and slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her. She looked around the room and gulped.

“M-mom… Dad… I-It’s me… Its Marinette…” she choked out, stuttering. Her knees felt weak, like her legs were suddenly made of gelatin. The brunette had to lean back on the door to remain standing.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Her parents looked up and their eyes fixed on her, gaze so intense it made her squirm. Then she saw it. There was recognition in their eyes. They knew. They knew it really was her.

The next thing Marinette knew she was being scooped up in a bear hug by her father, the large man holding her tightly as though fearing she may vanish at any moment. Her mother was there hugging her as well, tears streaming from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around them both in an awkward but caring hug. Later that night she would explain everything that had happened in the last couple days. Later they would have a tearful discussion about what it all meant for the future. Her parents wouldn’t sleep that night with thoughts of their daughter’s condition plaguing their minds. School was bound to be difficult the next day. For now though, none of that mattered. For now, Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng were just happy that their daughter was finally home. For now, Marinette was just glad that, even with everything that had happened, she could still come home.

**Author's Note:**

> To list the theories, ideas and headcannons used here:  
> The Ladybug and Black Car Miraculous are more powerful than the others. This is actually said at one point in the show but not gone into detail about. In the story it is why Marinette can fight Hawk Moth and the reason she was able to break his connection.  
> The full extent of Hawk Moths psychic link to the super villains is never explained, but I feel like it would not extend past the negative emotions he detects and the events related to them.  
> Cat Noir has questioned what would happen if he used his powers on a person, but aside from the illusion Volpina created there's nothing concrete for an answer. I believe that all the powers could potentially function on a person instead of just objects. You probably ask me "Why does Hawk Moth have his akumas possess objects then instead of people?" and my answer is that while he creates super villains that cause havoc, he doesn't actually want to kill anybody. His goal is to bring back his wife, so his intentions are noble. If akumas possesses vital body parts then the victim would have to die to be cured.  
> When Marinette's teach got akumatized, it was like she wasn't even aware of Marinette trying to talk to her while Hawk Moth was in her head, so i believe that when the akuma takes possession the rest of the world gets shut out so as not to interfere.  
> I believe that after being transformed akuma victims are on some kind of high where their negative emotions are amplified greatly and they aren't thinking entirely clearly. Eventually, if left akumatized, they will come down from that high and start thinking more like themselves. Furthermore, I think multiple akumatizations and certain other factors can cause a person to build a tolerance to that high so eventually they end up just thinking normally while akumatized.  
> There always seems to be some kind of flaw, limitation, downside, what ever you want to call it, to the powers granted by Hawk Moth. Lila had to kiss sombody/something to turn into them. The more Animan transformed the more exhausted he became. Lady Wifi couldn't do anything at all without a Wifi signal. I decided Marinette's downside was that she could be anybody/anything but herself.
> 
> I plan for there to be more in this series eventually, but I also wanted it fairly open ended so I can write depending on what happens next in the show.


End file.
